Manufacture of car-wheels.



0. B. WOLLE. MANUFAGTURE 0F GAR WHEEL$.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 12, 1909.

922,655, Patented May 25, 1909.

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- known to those skilled in the art.

of the Wheel.

TI STATS TATE CHARLES E. WOLLE, OF BURNHAM, PENNSYLVAlIIh. I

MANUFACTURE or 'cAR-wHEELS.

Application filed January 12, 1909. Serial No. 471,894.

' To all whom it may concern: l I

'Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. WOLL'E, a citizen'of the United States, residing at Burnham, in'the county of Miffh'n and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Car-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of car wheels and it has particular relation to the hardening of the tread and flange of rolled steel car wheels.

Heretofore, in view of the previous satisfactory performance of steel tired car wheels, the advent of the rolled steel was received with great satisfaction as it was believed that these wheels would embod I all the good points of the steel tired whee as well as having the additional features of integral construction, better hubs and webs, lower cost of production and other points which are well 7 It has been found in practice, however, that in a number of instances the rolled steel wheel did not have the ex ected longevity or mileage, due to the ange and tread being.

too soft, this fault being inherent and possibly resulting from the nature'of the steel required to make a rolled wheel or from the process of manufacture not affording the proper or a sufficient manipulation of the rim To overcome this defect various attempts have been made to harden the rim-of the wheel, it being well-understood that it is desirable that the hub and web of the wheelbe left soft. So far, however, none of the processes of hardening the rim of the wheel have been found to give satisfaction in practice. This invention therefore contemplates a method for hardening the'wearing parts of rolled steel car wheels which it is beeved Will-givethe desired result.

The nature andcharacteristicfeatures of my presentinvention will be more readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part thereof, which 1s .a central sectional view'of a rolled steel car wheel with a form of apparatus for carrying out my invention shown 1n connection therewith, the

sion in a hardening bath. 7

Referring to the drawing, 1 is a rolled steel car wheel of the usual type. 2 and 3 are top and bottom convex cover plates which en- I gage the wheel at the rim and incase the hub same being assembled in condition for immer- Specification of Letters Patent. i

flange and tread of the wheel.

PT, orrio.

] Yatented May 25, 1909/ and web of the wheel within a closed chamber. The lower cover plate 3-is provided witha seri'es'of feet 5 to enable it to rest in a stable horizontal position. Secured to the center of the lower cover plate3 is an upwardly extending bolt 6 which passes through the bore of the wheell as well as through an aperture 7 in the center of the upper cover plate 2. is ocked, together to clamp the rim of the wheel between the edges of the cover plates The entire structure 2 and '3 by meansof a'tapered key 8 which I I passes throu h a slot 9 in the bolt 6, the upper edge 0 the key 8 bearing against the upper end of slot 9 and the lower edge of key 8 bearing against a Washer 10 interposed between it and the upper surface of the upper cover plate 2. The upper end of bolt '6 may be provided with an e e bolt 11 for'engagement by suitable tac e for handling the assefnbled structure.

- In carrying out'the process of my invention, the wheel, heated to a proper hardening heat, is secured in place between the cover lates 2 and 3, as hereinbefore described.

he entire assembled structure is now plunged, in a horizontal position, into a bath of suitable hardening compound, being then raised and lowered repeatedly until cold. The wheel is preferably arranged between the cover plates with the flange side of the wheel "11 permost, so that when immersed the hardening solution may run up, against the flange, and not be forced away from the same by the heat, to thereby insure the proper hardening of the fillet between the The edges of the cover latesare madetrueon their faces to fit the rim of the wheel, but it is not essential that an absolutely tight joint be had at this point as any of the hardening bath which I might tend to pass through such of a crevice as mi ht exist. would be immediately vapo: rized y the heat of the wheel and thereby be prevented from reachin the 'web or'hub of the wheel to improperly arden-the same.

By the foregoing process there is produced A a rolled steel wheel having its tread and flange properly hardened to: resist .wear,

' whereas the hub and webare left in a softer state, so that there is. no, danger of fracture i when the wheel is forced on the axle or when the wheel is in service carrying a heavy load,

especially'around curves. I

Having thus described the nature and characteristic features of my inventi6n,what

I claim as new and desire to, secure by Letters Patent is:

housing, and then immersing the entire structure in a hardening bath.

2. The process of treating rolled. steel car wheels which consists in heating the wheel to a proper hardening heat, then incasing the hub and web of the wheel in a protective housing which engages the rim of the wheel and leaves the tread and-flange exposed, and 4 then immersing the entire structure in a hardening bath.

3. The process of treating rolled steel car wheels which consists in heating the wheel to a properhardening heat, then incasing the hub and web of the wheel in a housing which engages the rim of the wheel and leaves the tread and flange exposed and which forms an air chamber within which the hub and vWeb of the wheel are protected from the action of entire structure in a hardening bath.

wheels which consists in heating the wheel to the hardening bath, and then immersing the.

a roper hardening -heat, then incasingthe hu and web of the wheel in a rotective housing, and then immersing t e entire structure in a hardening bath with the wheel in a horizontal position.

5. The process of treating rolled steel car wheels which consists in heating the wheel to a proper hardening heat, thenincasing the hub and web of the wheel in. a protective housing, and then immersing the entire structure in a'hardening bath with the wheel in a horizontal position and with the flange side uppermost.

' In testimony whereof I have. hereuntosigned my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

- CHAS; E. WOLLE.

v Witnesses:

OATHARINE O. McCAuLnY, EUGENE F. McGABE. 

